New €329k childcare service for Laois
The new community childcare service will be based at Bloom HQ, in the former Brigidine Convent. File image
A NEW public childcare facility in Laois will open its doors at the start of next year, thanks to a government grant of €329,000.
A disused section of Bloom HQ enterprise hub in Mountrath will be transformed into a community childcare service, following the successful funding application by Laois Partnership Company.
The local development company received the award under the community construction strand of the ‘Building Blocks’ extension grant, to develop a new childcare facility at the business hub on Patrick Street in Mountrath, based in the former Brigidine Convent.
Laois Partnership Company said the new centre will ‘significantly bolster’ the childcare services it provides at O’Moore Place Preschool and Afterschool and Birchgrove Afterschool, both located in Portlaoise.
The grant approved by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality will be used for capital renovations of a disused section of Bloom HQ, with Laois Partnership Company responsible for the new childcare service’s running costs.
It is planned to begin with a toddler room that offers a sessional Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, as well as full day care. Besides a separate entrance, there will also be a safe and secure play area for children aged from one year upwards.
Laois Partnership Company chief executive Caroline Lydon said the project will allow parents and guardians who use the remote working space at Bloom HQ to avail of childcare also, giving them peace of mind that ‘their children are being well looked after just a short distance away’.
Tenders for the renovation works will go out in coming weeks, with the facility expected to open early in 2026.
As part of the process, Laois Partnership Company wants to recruit an Early Years Manager to help develop the new community childcare service. The manager will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues in the existing childcare services in Portlaoise, as well as support the recruitment of staff for the new service.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Tuesday 28 October. More information on the position, as well as childcare services provided by Laois Partnership Company, are available at www.laoispartnership.ie.
